WHY PLEDGE

On the auspicious occasion of the 80th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso – July 6, 2015 – it is our great joy to offer him this Pledge of Nonviolence. We take this action and call on others to do so out of our deep respect for the Dalai Lama as the beloved leader of the Tibetan people and a global icon of peace and nonviolence. It is our hope that this initiative will be received as a heartfelt message from Tibetans and supporters, who have been inspired and influenced by His Holiness’ life, as an expression of our commitment to the Tibetan struggle.

For more than half a century, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has maintained a steadfast commitment to nonviolence. Instead of resorting to violence and desperation, His Holiness has held firm and kept the Tibetan struggle on a nonviolent path. On top of this, like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., His Holiness has tirelessly promoted the use of nonviolent methods to resolve conflict, offering a world weary of violence the inspiration and motivation to do things differently.

In addition to the example that His Holiness has set through his life’s work, we have studied the nonviolent resistance campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King and others that are less well-known but equally inspiring. While there is no exact parallel to the situation of Tibet, it is clear that the fundamental principles of nonviolent change can be applied to all struggles to influence the dynamics of oppression and resistance. With this understanding, many of us have helped train thousands of young Tibetans and supporters in the art and science of nonviolent activism.

At this important juncture in the Tibetan history, when a new generation of leaders is coming of age and ready to carry forward the torch of the struggle, and questions abound about what the future of the Tibetan struggle will look like, we would like to offer His Holiness this assurance, this symbol of our unyielding commitment to carry forth his great legacy of nonviolence. Through this pledge, we especially wish to demonstrate our faith in nonviolent action, based in the universal ethics and Buddhist principles that His Holiness has embodied his entire life. We believe in the power of creative and active nonviolent resistance to liberate Tibetans from Chinese oppression and create a future free and democratic Tibet.

In closing, we give thanks for the extraordinary life and work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all that he has done, and continues to do, for the betterment of not just the Tibetan people but all people around the world.

Lhadon Tethong, Tenzin Tsundue, Freya Putt, TenDolkar Kanagtsang-Changma, Dorjee Tseten, Nathan Freitas, Rekjong Dhondup Tashi, Tenzin Choedon Kyikhang, Lobsang Gyatso Sither, Tenzin Tselha, Lobsang Tseten, Tenzin Tsetan, Tenzing Rigdol, Kate Woznow, Bhuchung D. Sonam & Tendor.

PLEDGE OF NONVIOLENCE SIGNATORIES

Lhadon Tethong is the Director of Tibet Action Institute and the recipient of the first annual James Lawson Award for Nonviolent Achievement. She was born in Canada where she graduated from the University of King’s College.

Tenzin Tsundue is an activist and writer living in Dharamshala. He graduated from Tibetan Children’s Village, Loyola College, Madras and Bombay University.

Freya Putt is the Deputy Director of the Tibet Action Institute and has over 15 years of experience working in the Tibet movement. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

TenDolkar Kanagtsang-Changma is the Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. Born in India, TenDolkar graduated from Mount Holyoke College. She was recently profiled as an emerging young leader in the National Endowment for Democracy’s “30 Under 30” campaign.

Dorjee Tseten is the International Director of Students for a Free Tibet and former Director of SFT India. He was born in a Tibetan refugee settlement in India and graduated from MS University in Gujarat with a Bachelors in Economic and Post Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Studies.

Nathan Freitas is a pioneering mobile technologist and the Director of Technology at Tibet Action Institute. He is currently a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society and leads the Guardian Project.

Dhondup Tashi Rekjong is the editor of Karkhung and Tibet Web Digest. Born in Tibet. He graduated from Tibetan Children’s Village in India, United World College in Norway and Methodist University in U.S.A. He is one of the co-editors of upcoming book “The Tibet Reader” by Duke Press.

Tenzin Choedon Kyikhang is the Program Manager of Tibet Action Institute and the former Director of Students for a Free Tibet India. She is a graduate of Tibetan Children’s Village and Delhi University.

Lobsang Gyatso Sither is the Digital Security Programs Manager at Tibet Action Institute and a leading digital security expert in the Tibetan exile community. He is a member of the Cyber Stewards Network (CSN), a project of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto.

Tenzin Tselha is the Director of Students for a Free Tibet India. She was born in Ladakh and studied at the Tibetan Children’s Village. She received her Master’s Degree from Pune University.

Lobsang Tseten is the Asia Coordinator for the International Tibet Network. He was born in Nepal and received his master’s degree in mass communication from St. Joseph’s College in Bangalore.

Tenzin Tsetan is a critically acclaimed film maker and graduate of the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He received the ‘Emerging Director’ award at the Asian American International Film Festival for his film “Bringing Tibet Home”.

Tenzing Rigdol is a ground-breaking contemporary Tibetan artist whose work ranges from painting, sculpture, drawing and collage, to digital, video-installation, performance art and site specific pieces. In 2011 his widely reported Our Land, Our People involved the covert transportation of 20 tonnes of soil out of Tibet, through Nepal, to Dharmsala in India.

Kate Woznow recently joined Tibet Action Institute and was formerly the Deputy Director at Students for a Free Tibet (SFT). She graduated from the University of British Columbia in Political Science (Honors) and has over 15 years of experience as a strategic campaigner in the Tibet movement. She was a key organizer of SFT’s 2008 Olympics campaign.

Poet/writer Bhuchung D. Sonam was born in Tibet and currently lives in Dharamsala. He is a graduate of Tibetan Children’s Village, St. Xavier College, University of Baroda and Emerson College in Boston.

Tendor is a strategic advisor and researcher at Tibet Action Institute and the former executive director of Students for a Free Tibet. He graduated from Tibetan Children’s Village, Brown University and recently received his Master’s in political science from Columbia University.